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Applications Due:

February 14, 2005; June 13, 2005; October 12, 2005

total funding:

Not Available

max award:

$100,000

min award:

none

cost sharing, matching:

No

number of awards:

Not Available

type of funding:

Grant

Description:

The Division of Cancer Prevention of the National Cancer Institute invites
small business applications for research projects to develop novel
technologies for capturing, enriching, and preserving exfoliated abnormal
cells and circulating DNA from body fluids or effusions and to develop
methods to concentrate these cells and DNA for cancer biomarker detection.
In body fluids, such as sputum, the number of exfoliated tumor cells is often
low compared to the number of normal cells, making it difficult to detect
these abnormal cells by routine cytopathology. Separation of dysplastic
cells from degenerating cells and cells undergoing non-specific reactive
changes is problematic. Moreover, exfoliated cells are frequently
contaminated with normal cells, bacteria, and cellular debris. Therefore,
enrichment methods are needed to allow for routine detection and molecular
analysis of small numbers of exfoliated cells.
Circulating extracellular DNA was first reported in 1948. It has been shown
that the circulating DNA in the blood of cancer patients has genetic
characteristics identical to those of the primary tumors. Thus, circulating
DNA is an important material that may be useful for cancer detection.
Currently available methods for isolating undegraded circulating DNA are
limited, and there is a need to develop novel methods which improve the yield
of undegraded DNA and to adapt detection assays so that this DNA can be used
to detect mutations, microsatellite instabilities, loss of heterozygosity,
epigenetic changes, and other molecular genetic changes.
This RFA will utilize the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small
Business Technology Transfer (STTR) mechanisms, but will be run in parallel
with a program announcement of identical scientific scope (PA-04-035) that
will utilize the exploratory/developmental (R21) grant mechanism.